


clement

by genes1s



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Canon Compliant, Canon Universe, Fluff and Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-06
Updated: 2020-06-06
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:27:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24570004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/genes1s/pseuds/genes1s
Summary: Sometimes it’s easier to let actions show their true feelings.
Relationships: Levi/Erwin Smith
Kudos: 78





	clement

It’s dark inside Levi’s room, though Erwin isn’t fooled into thinking it empty. The lamp on the desk is a few hours burnt-out, and the curtains haven’t been pulled shut. Erwin never makes a habit of entering without knocking (unlike Levi), but the door was ajar when he walked past. He knows Levi would never leave without locking up, and so he decides to check in.

Erwin bypasses the bed and makes  
straight for the armchair, making sure to tread quietly. Upon spotting the black figure curled small on the cushions, Erwin pauses next to the window. It’s barely past seven. The ends of Levi’s hair are bright in the dying light, and he looks warm despite the cramped position. Erwin thinks it unlike Levi to fall asleep during the day ; Levi only manages a few hours on the best of nights. He must have been so exhausted that he’d passed out during a break. Erwin feels a tug in his gut.

He turns back to survey the rest of the room - the best he can in the dim light, anyway. Erwin spots a familiar tea cup on the desk. He recognises it as his own, though he doesn’t remember Levi taking it. Erwin feels no remorse from the theft, only a brief fondness, knowing that Levi must feel such ease around him.

Spilt tea is drying on the polished wood, so Erwin picks up the delicate cup and pulls a handkerchief from his pocket, doing his best to clean the mess. Levi would surely be upset to find tea stains on his immaculate desk when he wakes. Before replacing the cup, Erwin brings it closer in his vision, trying to discern any style or features that might make this cup so special. He finds nothing of note, only that this cup belongs to him and not one of the many others from Levi’s own collection.

Beside the cold tea is a scant stack of papers. Erwin can’t make out the letters, though the format he recognises as fatality reports from the past couple expeditions. He grimaces at the papers after sparing a glance back to Levi’s slumped body. Erwin shuffles the parchment into a neat pile and walks to the bookshelf to tuck them away. Carefully scanning the rows, he finds an acceptable place to put them and hopes it abides to Levi’s strict order. Erwin still doesn’t fully understand Levi’s organisation, but every day he tries to observe and learn where he can.

Satisfied with the job, Erwin pulls his gaze from the tidy shelves and wanders back to Levi’s chair. The new angle of the sun alights his temples and casts shadows over Levi’s long lashes. Erwin watches them stretch down his cheeks. 

Levi’s eyelids flutter and his fingertips twitch. Erwin catches his breath in his throat.

He’s overcome by a strange feeling he can’t quite place, though it’s akin to guilt, as Erwin becomes keenly aware he’s been staring for quite some time. His own paperwork - stacked in heaps in his office - nudges at the back of his skull. Erwin still finds himself reluctant to move. Quiet moments like these are few and far between. Levi’s face, at rest and peaceful, is even rarer still.

Erwin retreats to the bed and perches on the edge, careful not to crease the sheets. He watches the window, the twilight and the birds. Erwin imagines that Levi is awake with him, a silent company as they relax in the view. It’s selfish and he knows it ; Erwin shouldn’t begrudge Levi any of the sleep he finally receives. But once you have something, you become accustomed to it’s presence, and in its absence, you feel more alone than ever.

Erwin shuts his eyes. He opens them anew. Atop the sheets - folded by the pillows - lies a cherry blanket. Erwin unfolds the soft fabric and brings it to Levi’s side. He leans down and carefully drapes the blanket across Levi’s shoulders and over his knees. He doesn’t stir, though his mouth is almost covered and his quiet breathing sounds muffled.

Erwin slowly reaches out and tugs down the blanket’s edge. His hand remains hanging beneath Levi’s jaw, and it feels heavy as a blade when he draws it back. Erwin is still hovering over Levi’s curled body, but he can’t bring himself to step away, at least not just yet. 

Steadying both his elbows on each arm of the chair, Erwin closes the small distance and gently kisses Levi’s forehead.

The air feels ever so heavy when Erwin pulls away. He treads back through the dark room and pulls the door to.

Erwin wishes he could say he didn’t look back.

-

Levi finds Erwin in his office after the meeting. His back is to Levi as he sits at his desk, but Levi recognises the set of his shoulders and the dip of his head, and knows Erwin isn’t really doing any work. Levi isn’t trying to conceal his entrance as he walks across the room, though it appears Erwin doesn’t notice his presence when he remains still. That, or he’s ignoring Levi.

Levi’s had it with the silent treatment for today. Erwin’s been stuck in tedious meetings since morning, chatting all the repetitive bullshit about how the capture of the Female Titan brings them ‘closer to the truth.’ It’s not that Levi doesn’t believe Erwin, but the days pass easier when there’s proof their efforts have paid off. Every time Levi closes his eyes, the image of Leonhart’s crystal prison flashes in his mind. It takes all his will to grit his teeth and refrain from marching down there and hacking at the crystalline shield until his fingers tear and bruise and bleed. The tension in Levi’s shoulders is near-painful.

The last of his temper flushes through his veins as he makes it to Erwin’s side. Levi slams his palm flat on the papers and sits on the edge of the desk, looking down on Erwin. It frustrates him even more when he finds they’re still close to eye level.

Erwin acknowledges Levi with an accusatory glance and clenches his entwined fingers. Levi doesn’t miss the way his knuckles turn bone-white. “What, were you reading these reports?”

“I’m tired Levi. It’s been a long day.”

“Don’t bullshit me.” It really is a piss-poor excuse. Erwin knows it too, and his lack of effort is infuriating. He just stares at Levi with a pitying gaze.

“You’re not angry with me, Levi. I’m afraid that tonight I’m not in the mood to humour your bad mood.” Erwin may have been more than half right, but there’s still an inescapable vitriol pulsing through Levi’s blood.

“Don’t speak so soon, Erwin. While you’re in here daydreaming about blue skies and Maria, some of us are becoming aware of the current situation. Leonhart’s not coming out anytime soon, there are titans having a field day lounging within our ranks, and Yeager’s a help to us just as much as the king. You may have convinced those useless bastards that we’re all high and dry, but I can see through it.”

Erwin retreats his elbows from the table and places his hands on his knees. “That’s the most words I’ve heard from you in a long time.”

His audacity leaves Levi speechless for a moment. The pause does nothing to disquiet Levi’s fire. “Just remember that one day, after all your wild plans, there won’t be anyone left to help you achieve your goal.” Levi knows it’s a low blow.

Erwin’s face immediately sinks. His brows grow slack and his lips turn into a frown. It’s the most human Levi ever sees him, with this face. Levi wanders why the cost must be so high to see such an expression. Erwin’s sadness is beautiful.

“I know, Levi. I know. It’s my nightmare - if we ever win, that I am the only one left to see it.”

The offered truth is as surprising as it is painful. Levi can’t look anymore. Closing his eyes is too obvious ; he gets off the desk and starts for the door. It’s cowardly, and Levi deserved such honesty after marching in here, after taking his petty anger out on Erwin and making such accusations. The thoughts grind his stride to halt.

Levi turns his head around without moving his feet. He sees Erwin again, hunched over his desk, and with less of a hazy vision, Levi finally identifies the exhaustion in his posture. He quietly returns to Erwin and pauses behind his chair. Before Levi can retreat, he bends down - it isn’t far to stretch - and plants a kiss on Erwin’s cheekbone.

Levi doesn’t want to see surprise on his face, disapproval or pity. He walks away, and he doesn’t look back.


End file.
